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EXPLANATION OF THE 46th PSALM. 1. "For the end, For the sons of Korah." And 80.1208 this psalm of the

all nations foretells the salvation, and proclaims the victory over the enemies. 2, 3. "All ye nations, clap your hands; shout unto God with the voice of rejoicing. For the Lord is most high, terrible, a great king over all the earth." The prophetic word foretold these things; but it points to the apostolic choir, urging all the nations to psalmody. For clapping is proper to victory, and shouting is the voice of victors. Therefore the meaning of this Psalm follows that which was set before. For that one too, after the storm and the tumults, foretold the announced victory. And this one likewise exhorts those who have achieved the victory to offer the hymn to the provider of the victory. For, he says, a most high and terrible king has been shown to you all. And these things were of old known only to the Jews; but at the present time, they have been made plain also to the whole nature of men. 4, 5. "He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He hath chosen for us His inheritance, the beauty of Jacob which He loved." Instead of "peoples," Symmachus has said "kings," and instead of "the beauty of Jacob," Aquila "the pride of Jacob." The apostolic choir, therefore, says that it is just, clapping and dancing, to offer the victory hymn to the God of all, who has subjected kings to us, and has given us the dominion over all the nations; and in addition to these things, has entrusted to us the beauty and excellence of Jacob. For not all the Jewish people called Jacob, but the beauty of Jacob and the excellent part, the choicest of Jacob, those adorned with faith, those who without doubt received the proclamation, those who took upon themselves the good yoke of the Savior. For these He both chose, and loved, and entrusted to the apostolic rudders. It is possible also to behold with one's eyes the truth of the prophecy. For it is possible to see those from all the nations who have believed, prostrating themselves before the apostolic tombs, and honoring the little dust with much longing, so that one may truly see and sing, "He hath subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet." ʹ. "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." But the Lord, he says, who accomplished all these things, first became man, and destroyed the tyranny of the wicked one, then ascended into the heavens with the heavenly powers and angelic choirs leading the way, those below 80.1209 crying out, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you, will so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven;" and those above exhorting, "Lift up your gates, O ye rulers, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in." For he called such voices a shout and the sound of trumpets, as having run through all the earth. 7-9. Sing praises to our God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the nations: God sitteth upon His holy throne." Therefore, with hymns and spiritual dances, honor the king of all; for He has shown His own kingdom to all men, and has persuaded all the nations that He is God and Lord, seated on the royal thrones. And the phrase, "God sitteth upon His holy throne," agrees with the apostolic saying: "He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." He has also well put "Sing ye praises with understanding," teaching not to utter the hymn with the tongue alone, but also to rouse the mind to the comprehension of what is said. 10. "The rulers of the peoples were gathered together with the God of Abraham; for the mighty ones of God of the earth have been greatly exalted." The promises to the patriarch Abraham, he says, have reached their end. But the Lord of all promised, in the

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ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Μςʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, Ὑπὲρ τῶν υἱῶν Κορέ." Καὶ 80.1208 οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς τῶν

ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων προλέγει τὴν σω τηρίαν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων νίκην προαγο ρεύει. βʹ, γʹ. "Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλα λάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. Ὅτι Κύριος ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς, βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν." Ὁ μὲν προφητικὸς ταῦτα προηγόρευσε λό γος· τὸν δὲ ἀποστολικὸν ὑποδείκνυσι χορὸν, ἅπαντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν προτρέποντα. Νίκης δὲ ἴδιος ὁ κρότος· καὶ ὁ ἀλαλαγμὸς νικώντων φωνή. Ἕπεται τοίνυν τῷ προτεταγμένῳ τοῦδε τοῦ Ψαλμοῦ ἡ διά νοια. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, μετὰ τὴν ζάλην καὶ τοὺς θο ρύβους, τὴν μηνυομένην προηγόρευσε νίκην. Καὶ οὗτος ὡσαύτως τοῖς τετυχηκόσι τῆς νίκης παρεγγυᾷ τῷ χορηγῷ τῆς νίκης τὸν ὕμνον προσενεγκεῖν· Ὕψι στος γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ φοβερὸς βασιλεὺς πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἀπεδείχθη. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν πάλαι γνώριμα μόνοις ἦν Ἰουδαίοις· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων δεδήλωται. δʹ, εʹ. "Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Ἐξελέξατο ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἑαυτῷ, τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ, ἢν ἠγάπησεν." Ἀντὶ τῶν λαῶν, βασιλεῖς ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν, ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς καλλονῆς Ἰακὼβ, ὁ Ἀκύλας τὸ ὑπερήφανον Ἰακώβ. Ὁ ἀποστολικὸς τοίνυν λέγει χορὸς, ὅτι δίκαιον κροτοῦντας καὶ χορεύοντας τὸν ἐπινίκιον ὕμνον τῷ τῶν ὅλων προσφέρειν Θεῷ, καὶ βασι λεῖς ἡμῖν ὑποτάξαντι, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων ἡμῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν δεδωκότι· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τὴν καλλο νὴν καὶ τὸ ὑπερφερὲς Ἰακὼβ ἐγχειρίσαντι. Οὐ γὰρ πάντα τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν τὸν καλούμενον Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλὰ τὴν καλλονὴν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸ ὑπερφερὲς, τὸ ἐξαίρετον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, τοὺς τῇ πίστει κεκοσμημέ νους, τοὺς ἀναμφιβόλως τὸ κήρυγμα δεξαμένους, τοὺς τὸν χρηστὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὑπελθόντας ζυγόν. Τούτους γὰρ καὶ ἐξελέξατο, καὶ ἠγάπησε, καὶ τοὺς ἀποστολικοὺς ἐνεπίστευσεν οἴακας. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς θεάσασθαι τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν. Ἔστι γὰρ ἰδεῖν τοὺς ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας, τῶν ἀποστολικῶν προκαλινδουμέ νους θηκῶν, καὶ τὴν ὀλίγην κόνιν μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ πόθου γεραίροντας, ὥστε κατ' αὐτὸν καὶ βλέ πειν, καὶ ψάλλειν τὸ, "Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν." ʹ. "Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος." Ὁ δὲ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἅπαντα κατ ορθώσας ∆εσπότης, πρότερον μὲν ἐνηνθρώπησε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀλάστορος κατέλυσε τυραννίδα, ἔπειτα εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελήλυθε τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἡγουμένων δυνάμεων, καὶ χορῶν ἀγγελικῶν, τῶν μὲν κάτω 80.1209 βοώντων, "Οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν, οὕτως ἐλεύσεται ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν·" τῶν δὲ ἄνω παρεγ γυώντων, "Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης." Τὰς γὰρ τοιαύτας φωνὰς ἀλαλαγμὸν ὠνόμασε καὶ σαλπίγγων φωνὴν, ὡς εἰς ἅπασαν διαδραμούσας τὴν γῆν. ζʹ-θ. Ψάλατε τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε· ψάλατε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε. Ὅτι βασιλεὺς πάσης τῆς γῆς ὁ Θεὸς, ψάλατε συνετῶς. Ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, ὁ Θεὸς κάθηται ἐπὶ θρόνου ἁγίου αὑ τοῦ." Ὑμνῳδίαις τοίνυν, καὶ πνευματικαῖς χορείαις, τὸν παμβασιλέα τῶν ὅλων γεραίρετε· ἅπασι γὰρ ἀνθρώποις τὴν οἰκείαν ἔδειξε βασιλείαν, καὶ τὰ ἔθνη πέπεικεν ἅπαντα, ὡς αὐτός ἐστι Θεός τε καὶ Κύριος, τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἐγκαθήμενος θώκοις. Τὸ δὲ, "Ὁ Θεὸς κάθηται ἐπὶ θρόνου ἁγίου αὑτοῦ," τῷ ἀποστολικῷ συνᾴδει ῥητῷ· "Ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης, ἐν ὑψηλῷ· τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενό μενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοῖς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα." Καλῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ "Ψάλατε συνετῶς" τέθεικε διδάσκων μὴ μόνῃ τῇ γλώττῃ προφέρειν τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς κατανόησιν τῶν λεγομένων ἐγείρειν. ιʹ. "Ἄρχοντες λαῶν συνήχθησαν μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἀβραάμ· ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπῄρθησαν." Πέρας, φησὶν, αἱ πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ ἔλαβον ὑποσχέσεις. Ὑπέσχετο δὲ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, ἐν τῷ